Method of gyroscopic control.



H. ANSCHU'TZ-KAEMPFE.

METHOD 0F GYROSCOPIC CONTROL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.3, 1912. 1,1855%. Patented-Apr. 25, 1916 2SHEETS-SHEET I.

H. ANSCHUTZ-KAEMPFE.'

METHOD OF GYROSCOPIC CONTROL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-3.1912.

2 SHEETSFSHEET 2.

Patented Apr. 25, 1916.

PAN? @FiFi-Qhl HERIEANN ANSCI-IilTZ-KAEMPFE, OF NEUMil'HLEN, NEAR KIEL,GERR'IANY.

METHOD OF GYEOSCOPIC CONTROL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. as, rare,

Application filed January 3, 1912. Serial No. 669,284.

metiiod of gyroscopic control for steering torpedoes, and toimprovements in gyroscopic apparatus for carrying out such method.

The object of the invention is to decrease any initialangle of-tilt ofthe gyroscope and to increase the resistibility or stability of the axleof the gyroscope. I accomplish this by speeding up or accelerating'therotation of the fly-wheel of the gyroscope af ter it has alreadybeen'set in motion.

As a torpedo is leaving its tube the gyroscope, as a whole, is set inmotion with its axle (axis of spin) fixed in a position parallel to thefore and aft center line of the torpedo. The starting mechanism is thenwithdrawn as well as the clamps which fix the axle of the gyroscope withreference to the torpedo. These operations are all completed'before-thetorpedolhas entirely left the tube. It is obvious that in this way theaxis of spin tends to preserve its initial direction,-i. 0., thedirection of the tube at the moment of firing. If, just at this time,the ship should roll, the tube, as a rule, will not be horizontal, butinclined as to the horizon,

by angle which may amount to as much as 10 to 20. Once in the water, thetorpedo will take up a substantially horizontal course, whereas the axisof spin of the gy roscope will maintain its original position in spaceand have a certain angle of tilt with reference to the torpedo.

My invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanyingdrawings in Which- F igure 1 is a diagrammatic cross section through atorpedo in its tube in a rolling ship; Fig. 2 is a similar View of thetorpedo (enlarged) while on its course: Fig. 3 is a diagrammaticperspective view of a gyroscope with horizontal axis arrangedaccordi'gto my invention; Fig.4 is {a view similar to Fig. but showingthe axle tilted up as to the horizon; andFig. 5 is a view, simi- -all vbecome quicker.

lar to Fig. l, of a gyroscope of the original ()bry type. 7

Referring to Fig. 1, this is a cross-section through a rolling ship (2,having a torpedo tube Z) charged with a torpedo 0, the axis 03 of thegyroscope e being in coincidence with the longer axis of the torpedo,but forming an angle a with the horizon; While Fig. 2 is a cross-sectionthrough the torpedo c during its course, showing the torpedo horizontal:the axis (1 of the gyroscope a is now tilted up through the same anglec; With reference to the horizon and to the torpedo.

It, while in its course, the gyroscope grad- 7G ually loses its speed ofrotation, as must he the case with gyroscopes of the usual Obry' type.it is clear that the axis must tilt up further, i. 0., that the angle 2"must increase. The steering mechanism ofthe torpedo is set in action bythe vertical'gimbal ring- 3, which may be said to be steadied by'thespinning gyroscope. All other conditions, alike, this vertical ring 3 issteadied best,

when the axle of the fly-wheel l is horizon-i tal. The resistive forcewill decrease inversely to the sine of the angle of tilt 2.

The greater the elevation, the less eiiicient the gyroscope for itspurpose, until the axle becomes vertical and the steadying powerdisappears altogether.

second disadvantage of gyroscopes se in motion by a momentary impulseand then allowed to slow down (Obi-y type e. 92), v

lies in the fact that any small precessionai.

movements about the vertical axis gradu- Klein and Sommerield in theirstandard work, p. 785, state substantially, that the fly-wheel must becentered with the utmost care so that its center of gravity willcoincide lexactly with the point of intersection of the axes of theouter and the inner ring, and thatonly thuswill the momentum preserveits direction during the course. Otherwise the axis spin will perform amore or less regular precession about a vertical line.

If a gvroscope be badly balanced, the path of the torpedo through thewater, therefore. may follow a fairly straight line at first, butdegenerate gradually. into a.

curve.

In order to improve the Obry type, g

roscopes have been devised where an elecadequate contrivance. The objecthas been to attain the best results possible by keeping the'number ofrevolutions as constant as possible during the entire course of thetorpedo.

1n contra-distinction to such devices the present invention has for itspurpose to im-' prove the working of the gyroscope by increasing the1n1t1al velocity of spin during a period extending over the whole or agood part of the course of the torpedo. It is an essential feature ofthe invention that this increase of the rotational velocity oracceleration shall take place after the fly-wheel has acquired its fullfreedom about its three mutually perpendicular axes and after all clampsor similar devices for looking it in a predetermined position withreference to the torpedo have been removed.

(1.) I provide, by my invention, that any angle of tilt, which the axisof the gyroscope may have had at the beginning of its course, shall bemade smaller.

(2.) That any precession in azimuth of the gyroscope shall becomeslower, since the steadying moment of the gyroscope is in glmbal ring.

The method of operation will now be explained with reference to Fig. 3in which is shown a fly-wheel 1, journaled in the gimbal ring 2, and asuitable electric motor 6, capable of rotating the fly-wheel 1, thestator of.

said motor being rigidly attached to ring 2, which ring 2 is journaledat 4--i in a sub stantially vertical gimbal ring 3; a weight 12 servesas a counter-poise for the motor 6. Gimbal ring 3 is carried rotatablyat by two suitable bearings which are fixed with reference to thetorpedo proper. As various methods of steering the torpedo according tothe apparent motions of ring 3 about axis 55 are well known and as thesemethods do not form part of this invention, the respectiveappurtenances, including motor connections, are omitted in the drawingfor clearness sake. A small toothed pinion 13 is mounted on the shaft ofthe fly-wheel in mesh with wheel 14 driven by motor 15, preferably aspring motor. At the moment of firing the torpedo, motor 15 isautomatically started and fly-wheel 1 put in operation. Immediatelythereupon this motor 15 and wheel 14 are slid back so as to clear wheel13, thus permitting free motions of saidwheel 1 in every direction.Motor 6 is now started and given sufficient electric current to increasethe number of revolutions according to the invention. A simple andeflicient means to perform this consists in driving the supply generatorby the propeller shafts, as these shafts are set in motion only afterthe liberation of the gyroscope.

Fig. 4 repeats the essential parts of Fig. 1, but shows an angle of tiltfor the gyroscope axis.

Fig. 5 shows, diagramatically, a gyroscope of the original Obry typehaving an angle oftilt for the gyroscope axis of spin.

I will now explain in which way the acceleration of the gyroscope wheelcauses the angle of tilt to be reduced.

The motor 6 exercises a torque on the hywheel 1, as indicated by arrow8. As long as the rotation of the flywheel is accelerated, the rotor ofmotor 6 exercises an opposite torque on the stator, as indicated byarrow 9. In Fig. 1 this torque lies accurately in a plane parallel toring 3 and is consequently entirely taken up by the bearings 4.

In Fig. i the axle of the fiy-whcel assumes the direction of 0-2,having, therefore, an angle of tilt with the horizon.

The reaction torque 9 of the motor, the total amount of which may becalled D, must be considered as a compound torque 77 with regard to thetwo gimba'l rings 2 and 3. The respective components are D cos or,acting about axis 0-2, and D sin or acting about axis 0.u. The firstcomponent 1) cos a is neutralized by the bearings It follows from thewell known laws of gyroscopic motion that under the influence of theturning couple D sin a ring 3 will not alter its position, but that theaxle of the fly-wheel is brought nearer the normal position 02. Asstated above, the steadying power of the gyroscope is thus always fullyutilized.

In Fig. 5 a gyroscope, spinning as shown by arrows 8 is representedwhich, during the course of the torpedo, is not motor driven. Thefriction in the bearings of the fiy-wheel will tend to drag around withit the inner gimbal ring Consequently, a compound torque 1111 acts onring 2 in the same sense as the normal spin, and this may, similarly beresolved into two components D cos. a and D sin. 0:. The component Dsin. or, acting here in the opposite sense as in Fig. 2,

has, according to the laws of gyroscopic motion, a contrary effect, 0.,it tends to increase the angle 0:. It is worth noticing, that themagnitude of the turning couple, 1) sin. 0:, depends on the magnitude ofthe angle c. Thus a small angle will increase at first very slowly, butgradually faster and faster, and in some cases, at long ranges, may evenreach the limit of 90.

From the above considerations it will be understood that for-the correctoperation of Having described my invention, 1 claim:

, 1. In torpedoes adapted for ejection from a torpedo tube and providedwith a rotary, cardanically suspended wheel, the method of control whichcomprises rotating the wheel at a predetermined speed while the torpedois being ejected and while the gyroscope and torpedo are fixedly lockedtogether, and in subsequently after the gyroscope is unlocked materiallyincreasing the speed of rotation of the wheel electrically, for thepurpose specified.

2. In torpedoes adapted for ejection from a torpedo tube and providedwith a rotatory cardanically suspended wheel, the method of controlwhich comprises mechanically rotating the wheel at a constant speed asthe torpedo is being ejected and while the gyroscope and torpedo arefixedly locked together, and insubsequently after the gyrosco e isunlocked materiallv increasin thespeed of rotation of the wheelelectrically for a predetermined time, for the purpose specified.

3. In torpedoes adapted for ejection from a torpedo tube and providedwith a r tatory,

cardanically suspended wheel. the method of control which comprisesrotating said Wheel at a predetermined speed as the torpedo is beingejected and while. the gyroscope and torpedo are fixedly locked togetherafter the gyroscope is unlocked increasing the speed of said wheel forthe. purpose de-- scribed.

4. In torpedoes ada nea o1- ejection from a torpedo tube and providedwith a rotatory,

cardanically suspended wheel, the method of control \inich comprisesrotating said wheel at a uniform speed as the torpedo is being ejectedand while the gyroscope and torpedo are fixedly locked together afterthe gyroscope is unlocked accelerating the speed ot' said wheel.

5. In torpedoes adapted for ejection from a torpedo tube and providedwith a rotatory, cardanically suspended wheel locked to the torpedo, themethod of control which comprises rotating the wheel at a predeterminedspeed while the torpedo is being ejected, then unlocking the gyroscope.and in then increasing the torque of the wheel while: simul taneouslyapplying a torque in the opposite direction to the ring in which saidwheel is pivoted.

(9. ln torpedoes adapted 'lor ejection from a torpedo tube and providedwith a rotatory, cardanically suspended wheel locked to th torpedo, themethod of control which oniprises rotating the wheel at a predeterminedspeed while the torpedo is being ejected, then unlocking the gyroscopeand in then increasing the torque of the wheel while simultaneouslyapplying a torque in the opposite direction to the ring in which saidwheel is pivoted and in gradually increasing both of said last namedtorques during the course of the torpedo.

7. In gyroscopes used for steeringtoredoes driving mechanism whichcomprises a spring motor set in motion at the firing of the torpedo torotate the fly-wheel and withdrawn when th:- axle of the gyroscope isunlocked and an electric motor, carried by the same frame as thelly-wheel, for accelerating the rate of spin of the fly-wheel after itsaxle is unlocked during the whole or a good part of the course of thetorpedo, for the purpose specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 12th day ofDecember, 1911,

in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DR. llllltllANN ANSCllll'lZ-KAEMPFE.

\V itnesses:

Fmanxxxo ltouwl-xoun, \Vuamnn h'ni'rrzrnnmx

